Sleepy Six
by Nanuk Solitura
Summary: Princess Lothiriel of Dol Amroth is hungry...and plans to let her whole family know. A sweet one shot involving the Prince of Dol Amroth and his young family.


Hi Everyone :)

This is my first attempt at a Lord of The Rings one shot. I know its short, but I still wanted to write it down. I love the characters of the Dol Amroth royalty and am a huge supporter of Eomer/Lothiriel =D I currently have a few stories in progress involving the couple but it will take me a while to post. Anyway I hope you enjoy =D

Emma xx

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A soft wailing broke the calm silence over the sleeping palace of Dol Amroth. Prince Imrahil, Lord of Belfalas, groaned heavily, turned his face into the soft pillows, and pulled the covers up over his head. His wife chuckled softly beside him and moved from his embrace to rise from the bed. Imrahil's hand shot out and pushed Nimriel back onto the mattress gently.

"No my love, I will go to her," he whispered, his voice thick with sleep. Nimriel smiled and settled back into the pillows. Imrahil lifted his weary body from the warm bed, blearily pulled on his robe and padded quietly into the adjoining room. As Imrahil crossed the dark room the insistent wailing increased and he quickly reached into the tiny, shell adorned crib.

"Hush, my daughter, before you wake the entire city," he soothed softly, lifting the small babe and holding her close against his chest. He rubbed her back gently, trying to quieten her. "Shhh, Lothiriel please," he murmured, rocking her smoothly. His wife's voice drifted in from the other room.

"She is probably hungry my love," Nimriel called quietly. Imrahil gathered the babe's blankets to her and moved back into his bedchamber. Nimriel was propped up against a small mountain of pillows she had created, her nightgown unlaced, awaiting the whimpering babe. Imrahil placed his daughter gently into her mother's arms and settled himself under the covers next to her. The only sound now heard was the quiet feeding of the young princess and her parents soft breathing. Imrahil's silver eyes were locked on his youngest child and a small chuckle escaped him as she suckled hungrily.

"She eats as eagerly and as often as Amrothos did," he laughed. "Which in itself is a great feat."

Nimriel laughed loudly. "He still does." She grinned across at her husband and then down at the babe nestled in her arms. "At least she does not bite as Amrothos did."

"That is because she does not yet have teeth."

Nimriel chuckled. "True."

The three lapsed into comfortable silence, weary in the early hour. But the silence was broken with a timid voice from the doorway.

"Papa?..Mama?" Imrahil sat up and blinked in the shadowy room. Nimriel squinted at the darkened doorway in confusion.

"Amrothos? My son is that you?" A small boy shuffled nervously into the large room, trailing a long green blanket and a small stuffed dolphin. His dark hair was tousled from sleep and his blue eyes wide and blinking in the dark. The three year old looked up at his family and yawned widely. "Come here Amrothos," Imrahil held out his arms to his youngest son. Amrothos made to run to the foot of the bed, but tripped over the corner of his blanket and hit the floor with a thump. Imrahil scrambled to the bottom of the large bed, careful not to jostle his wife and daughter, and peered over the end of the bed, into the gloom. "Amrothos? Are you alright?" The young Prince pulled himself to his feet unsteadily, rubbed his elbows and looked up at his father with watery greyish green eyes, clutching the small sea creature closer.

"Bump." he sniffed.

"Bump," Imrahil repeated with a smile. "Come here." he said beckoning to the toddler. Amrothos stumbled over to the bed, holding his blanket hesitantly above his knees. Imrahil lifted the boy over the wooden edging of the bed, into his arms and shifted backwards until they were both snug under the covers next to Nimriel and Lothiriel.

"Why are you awake Amrothos?" asked Nimriel, reaching out to smooth her sons dishevelled hair. "It is hours till dawn."

"It woke me up," he said grumpily, cuddling closer to his father, yawning.

"Amrothos for the last time, Lothiriel is not an it, your sister a she," reprimanded Nimriel gently, lifting the babe to her shoulder to burp.

"Okay Mama," replied the boy, nestling deeper into his father's arms. Imrahil turned to his wife and daughter.

"Do you want me to carry her back, my love?"

"No its fine, I'll –

"Mama?" two voices asked in unison from the doorway.

"Oh dear… did Lothiriel wake you too?" asked Imrahil with a sigh. Two small boys, the ages of seven and five, stood at the entrance to the bedchamber also clutching various blankets and stuffed toys. They bore the same dark hair as Amrothos although both had the same silver blue eyes as their father. Nimriel smiled at her sons.

"Come and join us then. We shall all be tired together," she chuckled quietly gesturing to the bed. Elphir and Echirion bounded forward, clambered onto the bed and dived under the quilt. Seconds later their head popped up between Imrahil and Nimriel and Elphir sat up beside his mother.

"Can I hold her Mama?" he asked, crossing his legs under the covers. Nimriel nodded and shifted her daughter in her arms, placing her gently in Elphir's lap, her small dark head resting in the crook of his elbow.

"Careful," said Imrahil softly, mindful of his tiny daughter. Elphir nodded and curled his arms more securely around the princess' tiny body as his parents had shown him so many times before with his siblings. Echirion reached over and slipped his finger into his sisters little hand and giggled when she clutched at it tightly.

"She's strong," Echirion laughed, wiggling his finger.

"Yes, but you must still be very gentle with her," Nimriel said kindly. "She's not ready to play 'protect the harbour' yet."

"I will be," said Echirion not taking his eyes off his baby sister. "She will play when she's bigger."

"At least she's quiet now," said Elphir with a yawn.

"For now," agreed Imrahil with a chortle. "She shall want feeding again in an hour or so." he finished. Nimriel groaned softly and sank down into the pillows. Imrahil grinned at her and squeezed her hand in sympathy. "My love If I could help you I would, however that is the one thing I cannot assist with."

Nimriel giggled. "I should hoe not."

"Would we have to call you Mama as well?" asked Echirion grinning from ear to ear.

"Or Princess Papa?" added Elphir, trying to keep a straight face. Nimriel burst into a fit of giggles as Imrahil glared at his sons in mock offence.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Just trying to help…" he huffed. Echirion laughed quietly and leant against his father.

"Sorry Papa." He whispered with a yawn. Imrahil smiled down at his second son and lifted his right arm invitingly. Echirion moved into his fathers embrace and laid his head on his father's chest, opposite Amrothos, who was fast asleep in his fathers grasp. Imrahil pulled his two sons closer, laid his head back and closed his eyes. Elphir looked up at his mother.

"Shall I put her back in the crib Mama?"

Nimriel smiled and lay back, flat on the bed. "No my son, she may sleep here with us tonight," she yawned reaching the babe. "Just be careful not to roll onto her." She kissed her son softly on the forehead and pulled him close to her. Elphir wrapped his arms around her middle and he turned his face into his mother's body, closing his eyes. Nimriel settled Lothiriel's lower body into her robe securely, so the babe lay on her stomach, head resting between her mothers breasts comfortably. Nimriel gently stroked the babe's downy head and turned to her husband. "My love-" she started, and then smiled. Imrahil was fast asleep, snoring softly, his two sons locked in his embrace. She looked down at her eldest son, snuggled against her, and found him already fast asleep as well. So with a last, content glance over her sleeping family, Nimriel followed them into dreams.

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Reviews pleeeeeease, If you've got a minute =D I'm thinking of writing this sort of one shot for Eomund, Theodwyn, Eomer, and Eowyn. Let me know if you think I should

Emma xxx


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